Woodworking Gift: How to Build a Collapsible Basket

If you're interested in starting woodworking, you can easily impress family, friends and neighbors with this simple-to-build, yet awesome-looking project. The basic materials are a nice piece of oak wood and a scroll saw. Then, all you need are a scroll saw and the instructions on how to build a Collapsible Basket.

To start this project, you'll need a piece of oak (any type of wood will actually do, but oak seems to work the best) that measures about 9 inches wide and is 11-1/2 inches long. Before you begin to use the scroll saw, put on a pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes with. Now, you'll need to cut this piece of wood down so it resembles a closed capital "C" letter. The ending measurements will be 8 inches wide and 11 inches long. (Check the pictures for clarity to see how the outside of the wood piece should look.)

The easiest way to do this is use a yard stick to measure and mark 8 inches and 11 inches respectively. Then, use a pencil and free hand to make the closed "C".

Now, at the closed side of the letter-shaped wood piece, use a pencil and draw an arch. This arch will be 4 inches long. It will also be 3/8 of an inch wide at its middle. Carefully cut this piece of wood out and save it for later use.

The next step to build a collapsible basket is to cut an oval-shaped piece out of the inside. Use a ruler and a pencil and measure out an oval that's approximately 6-1/8 inches X 9-1/2 inches. Carefully cut the oval out with your electric saw.

You should now have a closed "C" shaped frame, an oval-shaped solid piece and a small arch.
Use a belt sander or a file to smooth off the edges of the wood. Then, use sandpaper to smooth down any rough edges on any of the three wood pieces. However, only lightly sand the place on the frame where you cut the arch out of. You'll want the arch piece to fit into the frame rather snugly later.